Estrada, Joseph (1935- ), Filipino film actor and director, later politician and Vice-President (1992-1998) and President (1998- ) of the Philippines. Born in Manila, Estrada dropped out of college to start a career in films at the age of 21. Since then he has made over 120 films, many of them in the action-comedy genre in which he played heroes drawn from the lower levels of society. He won several of the highest Philippine awards for direction and acting. His political career began in 1969 when he was elected mayor of the municipality of San Juan in Metro Manila. There he devoted himself to tackling crime and served as mayor for 17 years. In 1987 he was elected to the Philippine senate. Although criticized for inactivity during his period in the senate, Estrada was among the leading advocates of a termination of the lease on United States military bases in the Philippines. His popularity as an actor contributed to his convincing win in the vice-presidential election in 1992, even though he was running on a different ticket to that of the winning president, Fidel Ramos. As Vice-President, Estrada headed an anti-crime commission that carried over the tactics of his film roles into real life. He won the May 1998 presidential elections convincingly on a populist platform, taking power from his former superior President Ramos. Besides his involvement in politics and acting, Estrada has been active in charitable work and in founding the Movie Workers' Foundation to assist the development of the film industry in the Philippines.
Filipino film actor and director Joseph Estrada was elected Vice-President of the Philippines in 1992 and President in 1998. These were not his first political appointments: he was Mayor of San Juan in Manila for 17 years, and has also sat in the senate.
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